Egg carton



April 3, 1934.

EGG CARTON Filed March 18', 1932 L/bfuz W603); NudC W/Wvdm a J. w. ox 1,953,748 v Patented Apr. 3, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I 1 Claim.

The present invention relates to cellular cartons, and has particular reference to improvements in cellular egg cartons of the type described in United States Patent, No. 1,124,266.

Egg cartons such as described in Patent, No. 1,124,266, have been on the market for many years, and are desirable due to their ease of erection without the aid of erecting machinery. An objection which, has characterized this otherwise successful carton is the absence of a cushioned bottom, whereby the danger of breakage from bottom shocks is greater than in other types of cartons in which the eggs are cushioned by suspending the bottom of the carton out of contact with the surface upon which the carton rests.

A primary object of the invention is to provide an egg carton of the type described which is sturdy in construction and provided with a cushioned bottom.

An additional object is the provision of an egg carton having an improved cushioning means.

Still another object is to provide an egg carton of the type having a separate longitudinal partition or centerboard with a cushioned bottom.

These and other objects will become apparent upon a consideration of the following description and by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an egg carton constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 'is a cross section taken along lines 2-2 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal along lines 33 of Fig. 2.

In accordance with my invention, the carton is formed by cutting, scoring, and folding a blank of cardboard to form cover locking hooks 1, looking strip 2, cover 3, rear wall 4, bottom sections 5 and 6, front wall 7, cross partitions 8, and an attaching strip 9 which'is folded over and glued to the rear wall.

The carton may be erected from collapsed condition by distending the front and rear walls until they assume a substantially vertical position. A separate longitudinal partition or centerboard 13 may then be pressed downwardly against the substantially horizontal partitions, causing the partitions to swing downwardly about the triangular hinge portions 12, by which they are secured to the front wall on one side and to the attaching strip 9 on the other side.

The centerboard 13 has a series of irregular cuts in its lower portion to receive the cross partitions and to form legs 15 which divide the carton into two longitudinal rows of cells. Integral with sectional view taken the bottom of legs 15 are hooks or feet 16. As the centerboard is depressed downwardly into the carton and the bottom sections are held in inverted V-shaped position, the hooks 16 pass through openings 1'? in the center of the bottom. When the hooks have passed through the openings 17, the centerboard is moved longitudinally in the direction to which the hooks point, thereby locking the hooks beneath the bottom of the carton.

The lower portions of the cross partitions are preferably of such shape as to assist in maintaining the outer edges of the bottom of the box in depressed condition to form a sturdy carton. That is, the bottoms of the partition are preferably given an inverted V-shape corresponding to the shape of the carton, whereby the points of contact between the bottom and the cross partitions assist in preventing the outer portions of the bottom from raising upwardly.

By adjusting the dimensions of the cuts 14 in the centerboard and the corresponding openings 18 in the cross partitions into which the centerboard fits, the bottom may be suspended at any desired height. In the modification shown in the 30 drawing the hooks 16 are of the same height as the height the bottom is suspended from the surface upon which the carton rests. This structure greatly strengthens the carton and prevents downward displacement of its central portion.

As shown in Fig. 2, the outer sides of the cross partitions may be slightly cut away toward their bottom, whereby the carton is narrowed toward its lower portion when the bottom portion is suspended in inverted V-shape. Thus, when the carton is placed adjacent a vertical surface, the side of the carton is protected by the converging side walls.

In a preferred modification of my invention the carton is narrowed slightly toward its bottom and 5 the hooks 16 are of such height as to permit the bottom portion of the carton to be of the same width as the width of the cross partitions at their point of attachment. This structure is of considerable advantage since the carton maybe collapsed by maintaining the cross partitions in horizontal position and bending the carton so as to decrease the angle between the bottom portion 6 and the front wall. In this manner the box is provided with an inverted V-shaped bottom and yet may be collapsed in the same manner as a flat box of the same type.

However, the bottom may be wider than the cross partitions at their point of attachment to the front and rear walls, whereby it may be 5115- pended any desired height above the lower-portion of the walls. Where the bottom is of greater width than the cross partitions at their point of attachment, the carton may be collapsed byfolding along the center of the bottom and the center of the cross partitions.

'Such modifications of the above described structure as come within the spirit of my invention are intended to be included in the appended claims.

I claim:

A carton having front and rear walls extending downwardly into contact with a fiat surface upon which said carton is positioned, cross partitions attached to the upper portion of said walls,

JOHN W. COX. 

